The Lakers double-gun 48+17 overturned the league's No. 1: Shuangtanhua was pierced in the heart, and Zhan Huang celebrated excitedly
On February 2, Beijing time, the Lakers, who lacked James and thick eyebrows, were upset on the road, defeating the Celtics, who have the best record in the league, 114-105, giving the Green Army their third home loss of the season. Reaves shot 10-of-18 from the field and 7-of-10 from three-point range to finish with 32 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Russell had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists, and Jaxson Hayes had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Vanderbilt played just 16 minutes, contributing 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals.
The Celtics have both struggled. Tatum finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 8-of-21 shooting, below his season average. Jaylen Brown finished with just eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 4-of-12 shooting.
Reaves is a non-seller for the Lakers, and he scored more points in this game than the combined scores of the Green Army's two probes (31 points). It can be said that Reeves defeated the Green Army's double tanhua. When James and Bushy are both sidelined, in the eyes of many, the Lakers will definitely lose this game because the Green Army is well-staffed and has the Devil's home court.
But in this game, the Green Army seriously lacked vitality, and the whole team was in a collective slump. The Lakers, on the other hand, were very active, and their defensive intensity increased significantly, with 11 steals in the game. The Lakers' offense was also very decisive and had a good hand, shooting 19 of 36 three-pointers from the field and shooting 52.8% from three-point range.
Reaves is averaging 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season while shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 86.0 percent from the free throw line. His form this season has actually been lower than expected. After last season's playoff highlights and last year's World Championships, many are optimistic that Reaves will become the Lakers' veritable third star this season.
Reaves' form has been up and down this season, though. But in this game, Reeves' energy was fully released.
Russell had a poor hand and scored 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting and 4-of-8 three-pointers, but his assists set a season-high and he had just one turnover. Russell also contributed two steals and did his best on the defensive end. The Lakers were all soldiers in this battle, and all 6 members of the team scored double-doubles. Vanderbilt continued his efficient performance, playing just 16 minutes to produce impressive statistics, but unfortunately he left the game early with a knee injury near the end of the first half. After examination, Russell's injury was found to be a sore knee. Coach Darvin Ham said it wasn't serious.
Vanderbilt has been in excellent form lately, and his defense and energy are very important for the Lakers. Van der Biaok may miss some games, but he shouldn't be resting for too long.
In this battle, Hayes, Hachimura, and Prince all performed remarkably. Therefore, if the Lakers are more proactive, their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. However, the Lakers have played a more depressed game for a long time this season. Prior to this game, the Lakers had conceded more than 130 points in four consecutive games. And in this game, the Lakers only allowed the Celtics to score 105 points. The Lakers have completed a big upset, and their biggest weapon is defense.
In this game, James and Brother Thick Eyebrows were very excited to watch the game on the sidelines, when the Lakers players had outstanding performances, James shouted and celebrated from time to time, and sometimes during the timeout, he also deliberately entered the court and high-fived his teammates to show encouragement.